• “Happy Birthday, Amelia!” yelled my three best friends, Phoebe, Ella, and Stacy. Today is my 17th birthday and I was having them over for a party. My parents had surprised me with my own convertible earlier. They had also told me that next month, July, my friends and I could go on a road trip.
    When I told my friends about this, we all started screaming because we were so excited. July was only two weeks away, and we had so much to plan. We started to talk about where we would go, how long the trip should be, the costs of everything- all the details of the trip. By the end of the party we had most of the basic stuff planned. We would travel to California where we would spend half of our time in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and the other half in Hollywood. Altogether, the trip would go from the beginning of July to the middle of August.
    Throughout the following two weeks, my friends and I packed all of the stuff that we would be taking along, got everything that we would need into the car and made sure that we were ready for school when we got home from the trip.
    Finally, it was the night before we left for our month-and-a-half long road trip. I went to bed early that night because I would be the first one to drive in the morning and I wanted to be able to drive for a long time before giving up the wheel to one of my friends.
    On the morning of July 2 we all got up early, said goodbye to our families, and then headed out on our long-anticipated road trip. We planned to drive from Toronto, where we live, to central Illinois on that first day,
    The trip started out a lot of fun with the sun warming up above us, the music on full blast, and lots of screaming, laughing, and funny jokes. Once we crossed the border into Michigan, we stopped to get some lunch and to get out of the car. The sun was hot by now and we were all glad to go into an air-conditioned restaurant.
    After lunch Ella said that she would drive, so that I could take a break. We continued to listen to music and the radio throughout the rest of the afternoon. In the middle of the afternoon, Phoebe, Stacy, and I started to text some of our friends who were back in Toronto. They told us that there had been a huge pool party that day because it was so hot and they were sad that we had missed it. As the sun started to cool down, we decided that it was time to stop for dinner. By this time, we were getting close to Illinois.
    After dinner we all agreed that we should call our families just to tell them that we were safe and that we would be in Illinois in very few hours. When we had all finished talking to them, we headed back onto the road with Stacy driving this time. Once we reached our destination, three hours later, the sun had already set but we were not very tired. So, we agreed to keep driving so that we could get to California faster. Around ten thirty that night, we finally pulled into a hotel in the middle of Iowa. We were all very happy to be able to sleep and not be in a car.
    We reached Los Angeles at lunchtime, three days later, July 5. Our hotel was rated three stars and overlooked a beach. The view was incredible and so was the room. After unpacking all of our stuff, we put on our new bathing suits and ran down the water. It felt so refreshing after spending the past three days sitting in a car. Dinner that night was in an elegant restaurant that was in the hotel. We ate at an the outside table because it was so beautiful out.
    We slept out on our porch that evening. It was amazing to be look up and see all of the stars in the clear sky. Sleep came to us all very fast and we awoke mid-morning to the sound of the waves crashing onto the sand and the little children playing.
    Riding in the car did not sound very appealing to us, so we walked downtown. We explored lots of different places, went to little boutiques, and had lots of fun just seeing what it was like to live in Los Angeles. That evening we ate dinner in a Chinese restaurant. The little restaurant was not very busy but the food was amazing.
    The beach was deserted by the time that we got back to the hotel so we decided that we would skip going there tonight and instead would spend the whole day there tomorrow. So, we all had showers, put on our pajamas, ate popcorn, and watched a really fun movie on TV. The movie lasted two hours and by that time Stacy and Phoebe had already fallen asleep. Once it had ended I climbed into bed and fell asleep very quickly.
    In the morning we made a lunch of lemonade, sandwiches, and some snacks. We packed some books, a volleyball, and some other activities that we could do on the beach. By the time we reached the beach, it was already bustling with people. We managed to find an area with enough room for all four of our towels, chairs, and our umbrella. The day went by quickly with us playing volleyball with some people that we met and splashing around in the water. When it was time to turn in for the night we were all exhausted from the heat and the activities of the day.
    The next week went by pretty quickly as well with us spending time at the beach, exploring the area, and hanging out together. We went to the movies a few times and we rented bicycles twice. The city was amazing to explore and the nights were as clear as day. We got so used to the sound of the waves at night that I wondered if I would be able to sleep very well without them once I got home.
    On our last evening in Los Angeles we decided to go to one of the clubs in town with some of our beach friends. All of us got drunk, but we still had an amazing time. It was the first time that my friends and I had ever been in a club, and we were glad for the experience. However, I decided that even though I had had a lot of fun, going to clubs and getting drunk just was not for me.
    In the morning we all got up late because of our hangovers and we decided that we would have to stay an extra day because we wanted to be careful. So, we spent the day on the beach in the hot sun. The water was starting to warm up, but it still felt so refreshing after being in the sun for so long. Volleyball was a lot of fun because throughout the day more and more people joined and we met a lot of new and exciting people. We were all very sad that night that we would have to leave in the morning, but we did not go to the club again that night, which I was thankful for. Instead, we watched another movie and ate popcorn.
    We drove to Hollywood the next morning. This time, instead of our hotel facing a beach, it overlooked a neighbourhood where it was said that some major famous people live. This caused us much excitement because we had all been hoping to see someone famous while we were here. So, we decided to run through the neighbourhood so that we could get some exercise and hopefully see someone. We had a nice run but did not meet anyone so we said that we would run everyday at a different time so that we might meet one of them.
    Throughout the next week, we spent time at the beach, shopped in very expensive stores, and explored Hollywood. We met lots of new people but no one famous. We did meet someone who was trying to become famous but we all understood why he was not famous because he was not very good. At the end of that week, I got the flu and so I could not really do anything for the next couple of days.
    On August 2 we finally drove to Beverly Hills where we would spend the remainder of our trip. In Beverly Hills there were tons of shopping malls that we were all very excited about and there were also lots of other things that we could explore. On the third day, I developed the flu again except this time it was much worse. It got to be so bad that my friends had to take me to the hospital. There, the doctors told me that I would not get better for at least two weeks, if not longer. This made me very sad because I would not be able to enjoy the rest of our trip. I had to stay in the hospital for the next two nights, which made me mad because I could not be with my friends.
    When I finally got to leave the hospital I was very happy. Even though my friends did not want to do everything that we had planned without me, I told them that they should and that I would be fine by myself. So, they took lots of pictures for me and bought me something every day so that I would not feel left out. During these days, when my friends were out, I watched movies that they bought me. I also watched some TV shows and free movies that the hotel offered.
    I started to feel better, but my friends told me that I was doing much worse and that I looked a lot skinnier than I had at the beginning of the trip. I could not understand how this was possible because I had been eating so much food throughout the past week. Finally it was our last night in Beverly Hills and all we had left was the drive home. I was very excited about this, but my friends were very nervous about what would happen to me because I was still kind of sick. I told them to stop worrying about me and that I would be fine.
    So, the following morning we left Beverly Hills and started our three-day drive home. The first day went by very slowly and the sun was so hot that we had to stop for a few hours. That night I had a little bit of sunstroke which did not help me to feel or look any better. On the second day I became very sick again so my friends decided not to drive at all that day to make sure that I was okay. By mid-afternoon, I was doing worse than in the morning so my friends took me to the hospital again. This time the doctors told me that I had very bad sunstroke, that my flu had come back, and that pneumonia had also developed.
    I had to stay in the hospital for the next two days and nights. I called my parents both days to tell them what was going on and that we were going to be home a little bit later than expected. They were very happy to hear that I was going to be okay but at the same time they were sad that I had become sick.
    We drove again on the day that I got out of the hospital. I was very glad that I was going to be home soon because I missed it so much, but also because I would rather be at home than travelling in a car while I was so sick. Then, out of the blue, a car came and crashed into us from the side. After being in the hospital for the past two days, I was put back in. I was very discouraged about this. But, after the medicine started to wear off, I understood why because my body was aching all over and I could hardly move my wrist and my foot. When the doctor came in, he told me that I had broken my wrist and ankle and that I would have to spend a week in the hospital.
    My friends had all gotten hurt as well, Stacy the worst, and Phoebe the least. I had blocked Phoebe from getting very hurt, and Stacy had blocked Ella. But, Ella had gotten hurt badly as well because another car hit her side of the car as well. The doctor told me that Stacy had gotten a concussion and broken a lot of bones. He also said that Ella had been knocked-out and broken just a few bones. Therefore, we were going to have to extend our trip for another two weeks so that we could all recover.
    Since Phoebe had gotten hurt the least, she came to visit all of us every day. The hospital had been kind enough to put all of us into the same room so that we would be able to talk to each other and not feel lonely. Phoebe also called all of our parents and told them what had happened and that we would all be okay, but we would be home later than expected. This made all of the parents sad and some of them said that they would come and see us but Phoebe did not tell us this. So when all of our parents walked into our room five days later, we were all very surprised.
    It was so nice to see them after not seeing them for a month and a half. They came over and talked to us and asked us how we were doing and if we needed anything. Phoebe and I told the parents what had happened because Stacy and Ella could not remember on account of getting knocked-out and having concussions. The parents were all very sad that this had happened but they were also very happy that we were all okay. My parents were especially happy because my flu and sunstroke had gone away and I was feeling a lot better.
    The parents stayed until we were all better and then drove us home, because my car was a total wreck. My parents told me that they would pay for half of the repair but that I would have to pay for the other half. This was fine with me because I was so happy that we were okay and nothing else in the world really mattered at that time.
    When we finally got back to Toronto, we went over to my house where all of our other friends had set up a welcome home party. Even though we were hurt and I was still kind of sick, we had a great time being with our friends. I was especially happy to see my boyfriend who I had not seen since a week before we had left. He told me how happy he was that I was okay and that he would help me with anything that I needed.
    As soon as we were all healed, which was about two months later, the four of us got together and talked about how much fun we had had on the trip. We shared our stories with my parents and looked at all of the stuff that we had bought. Some of the stuff was pretty funny and we could not believe that we had bought it because they were things that we usually would not even look at. The four of us were glad that we had had such a fun summer and that the accident had happened at the end and not at the beginning. However, we wished that we had been in an accident.
    For the rest of our lives, we are going to remember this trip. We are going to remember the good and the bad, and everything in between. The memories from this trip are going to last forever along with all of the pictures that we took.
    A year later, the car repairs are finally finished, and I am just about to celebrate my 18th birthday. I wonder what is in store for this birthday and summer? Maybe it will be a trip to a foreign country - who knows?